Christmas Time is Here

I love Christmas time! We put up our AWESOME fresh tree that Myles got for free and it looks beautiful! It could maybe use a little more decor but I love it! We even put up lights outside our house in the bushes and around the door! It's great! We are so festive this year. I wish we had more decorations, especially a nativity.

I have gotten so many uplifting messages about Christ I have truly been edified and my testimony of Christ has been strengthened. I want to remind everyone about what Christmas is truly about so I have a little Christmas thought to share.

Alma 7:11-12

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith that he shall take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people”

“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”

Christ was not required to experience our pains, sicknesses, and sorrows for the plan of God to be carried out and the world to be redeemed of their sins. He suffered these things “that he may know according to the flesh how to succor [aid] his people according to their infirmities.” Christ chose to suffer every sorrow, pain, affliction and grief we will experience; and all this out of pure love. In Him we have a constant loving friend and the only One who can honestly say He knows exactly what we are going through. He gives us His pure empathy and charity.

If Christ has given us so great a gift, what can we give to Him this holiday season as we celebrate His coming to this earth in a tabernacle of clay? “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11). How will you show your love for your fellow men and women this Christmas season and show your gratitude for Christ’s perfect love?

EPIC Story About My LAST FINAL of the Semester!!!

So I finish studying and on the way to the testing center I'm listening to an empowering song from the twilight soundtrack (supermassive black hole, the Muse) on my MP3 player. So I get to the testing center feeling like a vampire ninja (how cool would a vampire ninja be?!) who will totally destroy this test like it's chocolate! So I get into the testing center, sit down, pull out my only pencil and IT'S OUT OF LEAD! I freak out a little and then a miracle happens! On the floor next to my chair is a nice long piece of lead! I pick it up, put it in my pencil, and IT FITS! HALLELUJAH! That stuff just happens for vampire ninjas. I then take my test and upon finishing find that not only did I get an A, but the testing center monitor called me FANTASTIC! I know TC monitor, I know. What a great way to end the semester!

Thanksgiving 2010

Remember how last year we went to visit my family in Mesa for the holidays and someone crashed into us? Well this year our car blew up. No joke. There was billowing smoke and flying particles and everything. Looks like we just have really bad luck with cars.

There was a huge outpouring of generosity from others as we searched for either a new car or a ride home. We received gifts from many generous people and could not be more grateful. We ended up buying a new car with lots of help from my Dad for the drive home

I loved spending Thanksgiving with my family in Arizona. The weather was fabulous and I always had something to do. I made pumpkin pie from scratch! and it was way tasty! Beat that Sara Lee!

The LIGHT Alumni concert was awesome and it rekindled my craving for performing. I want to be on stage in front of an audience! Singing with choir is just not the same.

I love my sister Bonnie. We giggle together.

One Year

Nov 6 2010

Our celebration started at 5pm with dinner at the nicest restaurant in town. We even got a special invitation to go with our dinner.

Our table was so elegant!

And Myles brought flowers for me. A gorgeous bouquet! He has VERY good taste!

After our delicious dinner of teriyaki salmon, green salad, rolls, and sparkling grape juice, we went to my choir concert which was fabulous. Me in my dress:

As Myles' gift to me, I got 24 hours of pampering! This includes a massage and a raincheck on a pedicure! I love him.

Well now our first year if firsts is over and we're moving on to seconds. Some of our most memorable firsts were:

First miscarriage.

First Pregnancy.

First house. It's a rental and only the main floor but still.

First birthdays as a married couple.

First time to the beach.

First trip to Disneyland.

First trip to Yellowstone.

First time not showering for a full week.

First Christmas.

First Car Crash.

First time seeing the Grand Canyon.

First Thanksgiving.

First couches among other furniture.

First apartment.

It's definitely been a memorable year.

Halloween

Halloween was great this year. :)We carved a pumpkin that we grew in our own garden!

The carving could be better but for our first Halloween together I'm thinking we did a pretty good job. :)

We saved some of the pumpkin flesh which turned out to be about a gallon worth! I'm going to see if i can make a pumpkin pie out of it. This should be interesting.

We also Roasted the seeds. It didn't turn out as well as the store ones, they weren't soft enough, but I ate them all anyway!

For our costume we dressed up as Edward and Bella, and our puppy was Jacob. I thought it was pretty awesome! Myles looked a lot like Edward in his costume, but I just looked like a girl unless I was standing right next to him. Still, it was fun. :)

On a side note, I'm all caught up in school! Still have assignment to do, but I'm not late on any of them.

Also, our car is broken. I hate being stranded except to the places I can walk to. I hope it gets fixed by this evening.

A Sad Post

Is it okay to write a sad post? I think it should be, because I'm sad.

My baby died. :(

This past week has been a long painful miscarriage and I'm very sad to have lost my perfect little angel baby.

For the record, miscarriages are miserable.

I try to focus on the positive such as:

• Now I can ride on roller coasters again. Maybe I will go to Lagoon.
• I can eat whatever I want.
• I can get more schooling done before adding to our family.
• Myles can now take an internship this summer anywhere in America without having to work around out due date.
• We adopted a puppy.

His name is Joey.

We are very excited to have a happy puppy in our home, although he can be naughty. He helps to cheer me up during the day, especially when Myles is gone. He can be a handful sometimes, but I know it's not much compared to what a baby will be like. We love him. :)

Also, our anniversary is coming up! The puppy is an anniversary present as well as a consolation to us. But how should we celebrate? I'm trying to convince Myles that we should go to Lagoon! Hopefully we will go. :)

10 Reasons I Love My Husband

If this will make you barf, you don't have to read it, but I think it's important to record the reasons I love him.

1. I've had a box of truffles in the fridge for almost a month and Myles hasn't even touched them. Now if that's not true love, what is?!

2. He hugs me and kisses my face every morning even when I'm half asleep and haven't brushed my teeth.

3. He has the most perfect smile in the whole world.

4. I get to see that perfect smile every day when we snuggle and laugh together. Snuggling+laughing=love.

5. He works so hard in school and work, and then comes home and makes dinner and does other things for me and baby.

6. He sings along to country music songs. With character too. Then laughs at himself. :D

7. He gives the best kisses in the whole world and has the nicest lips ever.

8. When he wakes up in the morning he stretches (arches his back, bends his elbows) and makes screeching dinosaur noises.

9. He talks to baby, dreams about him (he is certain we're having a boy), is the perfect uncle to our nieces and nephews, and is so excited to be a Daddy! Plus he likes cool baby names.

10. He loves me a lot. :)

Big News

Well hello blog! I've been so busy lately I haven't updated you! I have big news! Sorry, you're the last to know because I told facebook last week. Now you know where my priorities truly are.

Anyway, I'm pregnant! And I'm so excited! And the cherry on top of this awesome Sunday news is that I'm due on MOTHER'S DAY! :D What are the chances of that? Yes, I'm due on May 8th 2011 and I am so excited! I have my first appointment with my midwife clinic tomorrow and I can't wait to hear my little baby's heartbeat! Not excited for the needles though... It's all out of love!

Yes blog, we were planning this pregnancy. We decided last April that we would start trying in August so that our little angel would come right after school gets out, and we got pregnant real quick!

When we first got married,I wanted to wait at least a year to have kids because I wanted to finish school and have more time with my husband etc... But Myles wanted them right away! So as time went on we kept talking about it and Myles had some good points and the spirit kept working on me until finally I gave up my pride and decided to give up on that one year thing. And now I'm so excited! I'm definitely happy with my choice.

We wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret a little longer, but certain events made that extremely difficult. Myles was so excited that he told Ross (the husband of my cousin Elizabeth) and Elizabeth was on the phone. We were worried that Liz might tell my Aunt Kerynne who might tell my Mother and we definitely didn't want my Mom to hear through the grapevine. So we decided to tell the family. But we just wanted to keep it in the family for a while.

...But Bonnie didn't know that it was just in the family so she put it on facebook. So I gave up! Now everyone knows! Hopefully the baby stays healthy so we only have good news to tell everyone throughout the pregnancy.

I'm 8 weeks pregnant today and that past 8 weeks have been filled with occasional stomach aches, a slightly more moody demeanor, constant hunger, and unrelenting exhaustion. On top of that I've got my 18 credit hours to keep up with so it's difficult to get all the rest I want. But I want to get as much school done as I can before the baby comes so I'm pushing through all my assignments. I'm not too focused on grades this semester just as long as I pass all my classes.

When I hear our baby's heartbeat tomorrow it will make all this worth it!

Women's Chorus!

Well, I'm in Women's chorus! Yesterday I got a call from one of the co-directors confirming that I made it in, and also asking why I wasn't in that day's rehearsal... oops! I thought they were still having Alto callbacks! I told him I would for sure be in today's rehearsal. Then I looked at the flyer they gave us about callbacks, and in big, BOLD letters it said "The final roster for Women's chorus will be posted Thursday morning. The first rehearsal will begin that afternoon at 3pm." Epic Fail. I'm lucky they didn't kick me out!
I'm also auditioning for Noteworthy today which is an awesome a capella women's group that does fun songs and was on TV last year! They're going to France this year. How awesome would that be?!?! Wish me luck!

Junior Year...

...has started! I'm taking 18 credits this semester which is way more than I've ever taken before in my life, but I think it will be a good semester! I'm really excited for my sewing class, I get to make four apparel items and use the sewing lab whenever I want! ...If I have any time for it. But even with 18 credit hours, I only have one or two classes that seem very difficult, so I'm not worried.Also, I auditioned for Women's chorus! FINALLY! And not only did the director tell me right off the bat that I have a callback, she also approved me for a concert choir audition! I don't know if i have a callback for that choir yet, I find out tomorrow. But section callbacks are today and tomorrow and I'm pretty confident I'll get in to Women's chorus. WOOHOO! I'm excited to be in school again. :)

Empty Nesters

My awesome youngest sister Bonnie just went off to college at EAC. That means my parents are EMPTY NESTERS. And now all they do is miss us all the time. :)
I went down to Arizona a few weeks ago for a few different reasons:1) My best friend LAUREN NIELSEN got married!

It was so good to see her in the temple FINALLY being sealed to the man she loves! My grandpa was coincidentally the sealer. How cool! I am so happy for her!
2) Bonnie's Birthday
3) To see her off to college.
It sounds like she is doing great! I got to help her shop and set up her apartment. It was fun. And now she is all on her own! I love her!

9 Monthiversary!

Yes, I know monthiversary is not in the dictionary, but it should be.

Yesterday was our 9 monthiversary. We could have had a baby by now. But we don't. And that's on purpose. Anyway it's just weird to think about.
To celebrate we went to the temple, then we had a fiesta! Minus the music and decorations. I made homemade chicken taquitos, mexican rice, tortilla chips, and guacamole. IT WAS SO GOOD! I ate so much I had a stomach ache afterward! But it was worth it! Especially the guacamole.Then we had a game night and played this weird game with some of the Andreason's (They live in the rest of the house our apartment is in). It was a good day. :)

That Famous Preston Night Rodeo

So last weekend we went to the Rodeo. Myles was super excited because he hadn't been to the rodeo in 3 years! He was so excited he bought our tickets back in March! Needless to say, we got really sweet seats. My favorite event was probably the mutton busting. Those kids really hang on! So cute. After the rodeo Myles told me how much he misses country life and working with horses. One day we will own a ranch and he will be the happiest man in the world. :)

I got new sunglasses at one of the booths by the parade. :)

Yellowstone

...Was awesome! It was a little cold at night but Myles and I survived in our 2-person sleeping bag. :) We saw so many cool animals I'd never seen before, and some I had seen before, just not that close.

We saw BEARS!

And Elk!

And Deer!

And Yellow Bellied Marmots!

And Pelicans!

And Big Horned Sheep!

And LOTS of Buffalo!

and otters,my new favoite animal! They were so playful and fun!

We also saw WOLVES, Moose(okay not really but I really wanted to!), and many more interesting creatures! And it was so good to get to know the family better. We made some great memories. Yellowstone is so beautiful! I vow to go back one day. And see a moose.

Ponderings & Insights

Something really cool happened in AZ that I was thinking about last night. My nephew, Everett, is the one on the left in this photo. He was with us on the trip, he is one and a half and just learning how to talk. My sister Fiona (his Mom) and I were playing with him, and she asked "Do you remember Heavenly Father?" Everett said "Bes" (which means yes).
I was amazed! He may be just giving an answer when he doesn't really understand the question, but what if he did understand?
We tried to ask him more simple questions like "Does He love you?" and "Is He a nice guy?" but all we got after that was unintelligible baby babble.
As I was pondering this I wondered if the veil that removes our memory of the premortal existence is a gradual thing. Maybe young children really do remember because the veil doesn't completely cover their eyes yet.
I know I can't remember anything before a certain age except for scrapbooked photos and I wonder if there is a divine reason for His childrens' lack of memory of their early years. Perhaps during those years we are very close to our Heavenly Father, but in order for His plan to work He must soon remove our memory of Him completely.

I am also pondering the idea of when the spirit meets the body. This is a common, but very ambiguous question in the argument about abortion. I loathe abortion and I believe that even the smallest form of human life should be cherished. Anyway, most of our changes in this life are gradual changes. For example, we mature gradually, we gradually gain a testimony of the gospel, we gradually decide what we want to be when we grow up, etc. Could the process of coming from our premortal life to this mortal life also be a gradual one? What if, for some period of time, in the womb or out of it, we are really dwelling in both worlds to an extent? Could Everett have been closer to our Father than I realized? What a blessing it will be in my home to have children so close to my Father. I think I will constantly be asking them to give Him messages from me, asking for forgiveness or help or blessings on others. In this life I will probably never know the true process of how our spirits come into this life, but I know that these infants are pure spirits that we should cherish.

It's interesting and so cool how I can get so many small blessings and insights from God when I am obedient. The instance when my nephew said he remembered Heavenly Father occurred at a time when I was reading scriptures and praying daily. Sometimes it is difficult for me to keep that habit. But the Holy Ghost brought this to my remembrance at a time when I was also reading my scriptures. I could know so much if I were just diligent in my prayers and scripture study! Heavenly Father truly blesses me.

Sorry my thoughts are kind of scattered. It's difficult to try and fit these experiences and concepts into words.

A Preston Wedding

While I was in Arizona, I noticed my brother in-law (Mike) had changed his facebook relationship status to "engaged". I knew Mike had recently turned in his mission papers so I was a bit concerned. I asked Myles if he knew what it was about and he told me it must be a joke.

The next day he got a phone call from his Mom. We come to find out that he really is engaged to the girl he had been dating (Natasha Dudley) and they are getting married in 3 days!

We know everyone must assume that they got married so quickly because of adultery or pregnancy but that's not the case! Certain personal circumstances led them to decide to get married quickly. They both prayed about this decision and know it's right for them. I couldn't be more happy for them!

I was able to throw a small bridal shower for Tasha, gave her some awesome gifts, and got to know her a little better. She is such a strong, sweet girl. I'm proud to be her sister!

Tasha and Erin, now sisters!

The wedding the next day was a very small, private wedding with just Myles' immediate family and the Bishop who married them. It was so touching to hear all the wise words about marriage from the bishop and then see them take their vows. What a special and happy moment for them! I was glad to be there.


After the wedding they opened a few gifts and we had a yummy and filling lunch. We had decorated their car and everyone watched as they drove away to their honeymoon as husband and wife! Yay!

Once all the wedding festivities were over we went back to the ranch. I finally got to ride horses with Myles! It was so neat to see him talk to the horses and use his expertise to get them to do what he needed. As we rode up onto a hill a deer ran out in front of us! It was cool.

We also went to Deer Cliff Inn where Myles used to work as a cook. My entire plate was deep fried food. Oh my goodness. I think I'm going to have a heart attack it was so delicious.

On our way home from the Inn we stopped by grandma Porter's house and she had more family visiting so we were able to spend some wonderful time getting to know Myles side of the family a little better.

It was a very good trip to Idaho. :)

By the way, I've heard some people are having trouble viewing my blog. it should come up with the URL melodieporter.blogspot.com It's a public blog. Any insight on why some people can't view it?

Arizona Holiday Reunion

A week ago we were able to go to Arizona for a family reunion! It was so good to see all of my cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents. I really enjoyed getting to know them better! Living in a different state makes it difficult to keep in contact and I didn't even recognize the cousinf who went through puberty while I've been gone! haha. I even got to know some cousins that I didn't even know well when I did live in AZ! It was fantastic.
Myles and I rode with my sister Fiona to the reunion which was in a town near Taylor AZ. There were 5 of us including 2 in car seats in a little Kia so it was pretty cramped, but we made it without too much fuss! We left at 4am and arrived around 2pm. We were in a lake house right on the shore of White Mountain Lake which means boating! And fishing! And swimming! It was really fun.
I also spent a little time in Mesa with the family and I went swimming there. I developed a nice tan to brag about. :)

Myles and Everett, Best Buds!

Prize Fish! A 17-inch rainbow trout! What a proud fisherman!

Kaisa and her horse "My Little Pony"

Kaisa and Natalia "Best Friends" for the weekend.

The sunset view from the deck of the cabin.

Adventures are Experiences That Suck at the Time, But Make a Good Story When They're Overcome.

Well, the move went smoothly aside from some stress, a few bumps and bruises, and a few tears. Now we have only a few odds and ends to find places for. It was tough to make everything that used to take up twice as much space into our tiny new apartment, but we did it!

Now for my adventure:

Myles, a friend, and I thought it would be fun to go camping.

We let the friend plan it.

6pm: The "20 minute" drive to the site ends up taking an hour, but that's okay cause the view is good and we get to see the sunset.

7pm: Myles and I are the first one up cause our car is the only one that can make it.

8pm: We miss the sunset to unpack.

8:15pm: We start dinner for all 8 people camping.

9:30pm: Myles leaves me alone on the mountain in the dark by the campfire so he can go get our friends at the bottom of the mountain.

9:45pm: I get scared and grab one of the guns we brought (to go shooting the next day) and hold it on my lap to scare away any predators.

Of course it's not loaded.

And I probably wouldn't know how to use it if it was.

10:30pm: They finally make it to the top and we eat tin foil dinners and smores. We have fun.

1am: The fire department shows up and tells us we have to move because (get this) helicopters will be flying buildings over the mountain in the morning. What are the odds?

1:15am: We pack up EVERYTHING we brought plus 6 people into and on top of our car, (5 seater Chevy Blazer) filling ever lap, nook, and cranny with something.

2am: We begin the descent toward the valley so we can camp in our friend's parents' backyard.

2:30am: We arrive and set up camp.

3am: Most people finally get to sleep, but I'm tossing and turning because I'm sharing a one man cot with my husband and it's SO HOT I can't get comfy. As I come in and out of slumber all night I notice the sky start to brighten, (we're not in a tent) and eventually the sun comes up.

7am: Everyone wakes up and complains about only getting 4 hours of sleep. (You think you've got it rough?)

7:30am: We pack up camp and eat pancakes and fruit at our friend's parents' house. That was fun.

9am: We leave to go fishing at the lake. No one has sunscreen.

9:30am: We start to fish. Nothing's biting, no bait is helping. Oh well.

11am: My skin starts to turn a little pink.

12:30pm: No one's caught anything. We decide it's probably too late in the day to fish, and we decide to go shooting. No lunch. My skin's feeling a little burnt.

1pm: We find a good place to shoot. I'm concerned about my sunburn. I get to shoot a rifle, and 3rd time was a charm! I hit my mark! I missed all the pigeons though. Myles is a pro shooter. This was kind of fun.

1:30pm: I suddenly feel exhaused and decide to go lay down in the shade of the car. I barely get any Zzzz's.

2pm: I wake up and decide it's hopeless to try and get to sleep again. The shooting is too loud. I feel weak, shaky, sunburned, and I have a headache. I call Myles over and tell him I don't feel well. For some reason I start crying while telling him I want to go home. We decide I have heat exhaustion and better get going. I slowly drink lots of water.

2:15pm: We're finishing up the shooting. I decide I may as well shoot a few more guns so I shoot a 22 and hit a few marks. I shoot a handgun and miss everytime. I rest again.

2:30pm: We're on our way home and I get the strong urge to pee.

2:50pm: I consider going pee on the side of the road, or maybe in a bottle in the car while there's 3 other people to witness.

2:55pm: I decide to try and wait it out.

3pm: We FINALLY get home and I RUN to the bathroom!

3:10pm: I collapse on the bed and I start crying again because I'm so miserable. My sunburn is bright red and it hurts. I'm hungry and shaky so I eat and drink. I go to sleep. It's over.

THE END.

Adventures. Suck.

We're Moving. Surprise!!!!

Yep. We're moving.

In 9 days.

Surprise!

We weren't even looking to move, when we got an ICRDIBLE offer from a friend of ours who owns some rental properties.

We couldn't refuse!

This is such a blessing for us because we've been looking for ways to cut back on expenses and save money while Myles and I get started working with Aflac. It takes a little while before you start seeing revenue. We were praying for ways to save money when we got this offer! And then the next day Myles wrote a few policies (signed people up for Aflac insurance) that we got paid for soon after! The Lord has definitely been hearing and answering our prayers. :)

The only sad part about having to move, besides the hassle of moving, is that we'll have to leave our garden that we've been nurturing for months! It's finally starting to flourish and we've been harvesting lettuce and spinach! I'm really sad to leave it, but We'll plant ourselves another garden at our new place.

Our new address:

290 E 4000 N

Provo UT, 84604

Also, Saturday was free fishing day (the one day of the year it's legal to fish without a license) in Utah, and Myles and I got to go FISHING! I haven't been fishing in years! I really love fishing because it's a chance to relax and enjoy nature (which is especially beautiful around rivers and lakes) while doing something productive. It's so interesting to hear everything Myles knows about fishing that I haven't learned yet, just because I haven't gotten the opportunity. We are going to get fishing licenses and go fish as often as we can! It's something we both anjoy and we can spend time together doing it!

Life is good.

I Love My Phone Service

So Myles and I were going through our budget the other day seeing where we could cut back and we realized that our phone service provider (T-Mobile) had plans offering essentially the same service we already had, for $30 cheaper! We hadn't even finished a year of our current contract, but we thought we'd go into the store and see if they could help us.

We walked in, contract in hand, ready to fight for what we wanted. When we told the guy we wanted to pay LESS every month than what was in our contract, he said oh sure! Let m do that for you. Oh, and your phone is due for an upgrade! It was awesome. So I now have a new phone and we're paying $30 less every month for phone service. the only drawback is that we had to restart our 2-year contract. But I don't mind because t-mobile has been awesome to work with!

It's nothing fancy, but it was FREE and new and has a warranty! The more I use it, the more I like it.

California & Disneyland!

So pretty much the vacation was just awesome and amazing.

Period.

Pictures...